Salmond to have day in court as he challenges handling of sex claims

Proceedings against Scottish Government to begin later in year

Court officials have fixed dates for Alex Salmond’s legal action against the Scottish Government over its handling of sexual misconduct complaints against him.

The former first minister has instructed lawyers to go to the Court of Session over how the government dealt with harassment allegations made by two women.

He is seeking a judicial review of a complaints procedure that was introduced by the Scottish Government last December.

Yesterday officials at the court confirmed that the case will begin later this year.

A procedural hearing will take place at the Edinburgh court on November 6.

A substantive set of proceedings will take place over four days starting from January 15 2019.

A Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service spokesman said: “The interlocutor has been signed and two dates have been set for the Salmond judicial review.”

The complaints about Mr Salmond were made in January – just weeks after a new set of procedures about how to deal with harassment complaints was introduced with the blessing of current first minister Nicola Sturgeon.

Ms Sturgeon had asked for the Scottish Government’s existing policies to be reviewed and updated following wider concerns about harassment at the Holyrood and Westminster Parliaments.

Mr Salmond claims the investigation into the complaints made against him was “unfair and unjust”.

He said that he had been given no opportunity to see the evidence and was given no opportunity to properly challenge the case made against him.

Mr Salmond, who has raised £100,000 towards his legal bills from crowdfunding, described the allegations made against him was “patently ridiculous”.

He has written to the Scottish Government’s most senior civil servant, Permanent Secretary Leslie Evans, urging her to investigate how the claims were made public.

The former SNP leader claims that somebody within the Scottish Government breached confidentiality safeguards by leaking details of the allegations to the Daily Record newspaper.

The Scottish Government disputes Mr Salmond’s account of the investigation.

The government claims Mr Salmond’s public statements about the matter contained inaccuracies.

A Scottish Government spokesperson said lawyers will contest the action brought by Mr Salmond.

The allegations are also being investigated by the police.

The Daily Record has said that its journalists have seen the wording of one of the complaints, which was made by a Scottish Government staff member.

The woman alleges the former first minister touched her bottom and breasts through her clothing while she was alone with him at his official residence in Edinburgh Bute House.

The alleged incident is supposed to have taken place in the first week of December 2013. The woman is also said to have alleged “multiple incidences of harassment and conduct of an unwanted sexual nature”.

Mr Salmond led the Scottish Government as first minister from 2007. He left the position after the 2014 independence referendum.

The identity of the judge who will hear the case is not yet known.

PA. Former first minister Alex Salmond claims the probe into complaints against him was “unfair and unjust.